International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated globally on March 8 to honour women’s achievements and advocate for gender equality. In 2025, the theme is “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” emphasising the urgency to expedite progress toward gender parity.
This theme calls for swift, decisive measures to address systemic barriers and biases affecting women in various spheres. It encourages individuals, communities, and organisations to implement effective strategies and amplify efforts that promote women’s advancement.
By supporting initiatives that empower women and challenge discrimination, we can collectively accelerate the journey toward a more equitable world.
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International Women’s Day 2025: History, Significance, and Celebrations
International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025 will be celebrated globally on Saturday, March 8, under the campaign theme “Accelerate Action.” This campaign theme emphasises the urgent need to take decisive steps toward achieving gender equality, addressing the slow pace of progress, and empowering women and girls worldwide.
History of International Women’s Day
- Origins: The roots of IWD trace back to the early 20th century during labour movements. In 1908, around 15,000 women marched in New York City, demanding better working conditions, fair wages, and voting rights.
- First Observance: The Socialist Party of America declared the first “National Woman’s Day” on February 28, 1909. In 1910, German activist Clara Zetkin proposed an annual International Women’s Day at the International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen.
- Global Recognition: The first official IWD was celebrated on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. By 1975, the United Nations officially recognised March 8 as International Women’s Day.
Significance
International Women’s Day serves as a platform to:
- Celebrate women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements.
- Raise awareness about ongoing gender inequalities.
- Advocate for equal rights and opportunities for women globally.
Celebrations in 2025
- Events worldwide will include educational programs, cultural activities, and campaigns focused on gender equality.
- Organisations will highlight issues such as reproductive rights, violence against women, and climate justice while celebrating the contributions of women as leaders and change-makers.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark blueprint for advancing women’s rights globally. It reinforces the urgency to address critical issues like education, health, economic empowerment, and eliminating violence against women.
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International Women’s Day 2025 Theme: “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment”
The theme for International Women’s Day 2025, “For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment,” emphasises the importance of achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls globally.
It aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which aims to eliminate discrimination, violence, and harmful practices against women and girls while promoting their equal participation in all aspects of life.
Additionally, to accelerate women’s empowerment, a campaign theme called ‘Accelerate Action’ has been launched. This theme emphasises the need for swift and decisive steps to address the systemic barriers and biases that women face in various spheres of life.
Here’s a detailed explanation of the theme:
Key Aspects of the Theme:
This year’s theme focuses on creating a world where everyone has equal rights, power, and opportunities. It highlights the importance of empowering young women and girls, as they play a key role in bringing lasting change.
The year 2025 is also important because it marks 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
This historic agreement helped improve women’s rights worldwide by strengthening laws, increasing access to services, involving young people, and challenging outdated beliefs and stereotypes.
1. Rights:
Women and girls are entitled to fundamental human rights, including freedom from violence, discrimination, and exploitation13.
These rights extend to education, healthcare, economic resources, and political participation, ensuring equal opportunities for all.
2. Equality:
Gender equality is crucial for sustainable development and social progress. It involves dismantling systemic barriers such as wage gaps, unequal domestic responsibilities, and underrepresentation in leadership roles.
Equality also means addressing harmful practices like child marriage and female genital mutilation.
3. Empowerment:
Empowerment refers to enabling women and girls to make strategic life choices by enhancing their agency, access to resources, and creating supportive environments.
This includes fostering leadership opportunities, economic independence, and access to technology for women.
4. Broader Implications:
Gender equality benefits everyone by contributing to economic growth, peace, and sustainable development.
Achieving this goal requires political commitment, legal reforms, investments in education and healthcare, and cultural shifts to challenge discriminatory norms.
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Why ‘Accelerate Action’ is Crucial for Gender Equality in 2025?
The theme “Accelerate Action” for International Women’s Day 2025 is crucial because it highlights the urgency of addressing persistent gender inequalities and the slow pace of progress toward achieving gender parity. Here’s why this theme is significant:
1) The Long Road to Gender Equality
At the current rate, full gender parity is projected to be achieved by 2158, which is over 130 years away. This timeline underscores the need for immediate and decisive action to close gaps in areas like economic participation, education, and leadership representation.
Women continue to face systemic barriers, including unequal pay, underrepresentation in decision-making roles, and limited access to healthcare and education.
2) Addressing Post-Pandemic Setbacks
The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected women, exacerbating issues such as job losses, increased unpaid caregiving responsibilities, and heightened domestic violence.
Accelerating action is essential to recover lost ground and ensure women are not left behind in the post-pandemic recovery.
3) Tackling Persistent Challenges
Gender-based violence, wage disparities, and underrepresentation in STEM fields remain critical issues. The theme calls for dismantling outdated systems and biases through reforms in policies and institutions.
It also emphasises the importance of intersectionality, ensuring that marginalised groups of women benefit from progress.
4) Global Call for Solidarity
“Accelerate Action” encourages individuals, organisations, and governments to collaborate on effective strategies that have already shown positive results. Supporting grassroots movements and advocacy groups working for women’s rights is a key focus.
By fostering solidarity and collective efforts, the theme aims to inspire tangible actions that lead to measurable outcomes rather than superficial changes.
5) Empowering Women in Key Areas
The campaign highlights critical areas such as closing the gender pay gap, increasing women’s representation in leadership roles, improving access to education (especially in STEM), and prioritising women’s health.
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How is International Women’s Day Celebrated Differently Around the World?
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated in diverse ways across the globe, reflecting cultural traditions, political contexts, and social priorities. Here are some examples of how different countries mark the occasion:
1. Europe
- Italy: Known as La Festa della Donna, people give yellow mimosa flowers to women as a symbol of strength and solidarity. Mimosa-themed cakes are also popular.
- Russia: IWD is celebrated like Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day, with women receiving flowers and chocolates. However, its original political significance has diminished over time.
- Germany: Berlin made IWD a public holiday in 2019. Celebrations often include feminist protests and events like film festivals.
2. Asia
- China: IWD has been a national holiday since 1949. Many companies give female employees a half-day off, though the day has also become commercialised with shopping promotions.
- South Korea: The day is marked by political protests, with themes like #MeToo and gender equality taking centre stage. Activists often rally for equal pay and against gender-based violence.
3. Americas
- United States: While not an official holiday, March is Women’s History Month. IWD is observed through rallies, corporate events, and campaigns advocating for women’s rights.
- Argentina: Celebrations include protests addressing issues such as gender violence, wage gaps, and reproductive rights.
4. Latin America
- Brazil: Celebrations focus on feminine beauty, with gifts like chocolates and flowers being common. Schools may also involve children in creating notes or crafts for women they admire.
5. Oceania
- Australia: IWD events include marches, panel discussions, and breakfasts featuring prominent women speakers advocating for equality and diversity.
6. Africa
While specific traditions vary widely across African nations, many countries use the day to highlight issues like education access for girls, maternal health, and gender-based violence.